Saturday, 21 January 2017

Roll up, roll up, Cirque Berserk is in town.

Theatre is one of my great loves and, fortunately, I can indulge regularly as we have some wonderful local theatres who kindly invite me to previews. Only this week I went to see a show with Hubbie and it was a complete surprise for two reasons. Firstly he rarely accompanies me as there aren't many shows he's really interested in seeing, but on this occasion he said yes. Secondly because I had no idea that Cirque Berserk even existed. It's a genuine circus that is adapted to suit theatre venues. If you remember Zippo's Circus you will be familiar with the founder of Cirque Berserk, Martin 'Zippo' Burton. I can recall Zippo's visiting schools when I was at uni so that children who might not have been able to see the circus otherwise could enjoy the show.

The wonderful variety of acts includes performers who are the latest of generations of circus folk. They are from all over the world and many still perform in traditional circuses during the 'big top season' ie. the warmer months. As it was explained to me, it's not so easy to hammer tent pegs into frozen ground.

Seeing a circus in a theatre like the Churchill Theatre in Bromley is a real 'wow' experience, especially as they don't use safety harnesses or nets and the aerialists in particular are pretty high off the ground ! From the moment the show opened it was breathtaking with non-stop action and incredibly evocative music. These were punctuated with visits from Tweedy the clown who is no slouch when it comes to circus skills himself . His repertoire includes juggling, tightrope walking and riding a unicycle (while juggling).

There are tumblers from Kenya, a knife throwing act, the most phenomenal stunt team from Brazil who ride motorcycles inside a globe on stage at speed and with increasing jeapordy. We met one of the riders from Team Lucius during the interval and he explained that he has broken every bone in his body at some point. Once you've seen the stunts you will see why that is and why it's more surprising that he is actually still here !

I did take a video clip of the 'globe of death' stunt to show Brown Bear and he was open mouthed and wide eyed at the sight of it. I won't spoil it for you, I think you really should go and see the show in person. The tour continues from Bromley to Glasgow and during half term the circus will come to the New Wimbledon Theatre. This show is suitable for the whole family although younger children might find it a little long as just under two hours.